The sixth edition of India International Women Festival features a long and strong list of women-centric films

Once, when the director of superhit comedy films No Entry, Singh is King and Welcome, Anees Bazmee was asked about the genre of films he would like to explore in his future projects, he replied, "There're only two genres, entertainment and super entertainment."


Bright Star by Jane Campion

Undoubtedly, it's true when it comes to multiplexes, films must entertain. On the other hand, film festivals have a purpose, which may not convert into laughter or mushy emotions. The sixth edition of India International Women Film Festival too has put entertainment on the backburner. Instead it will touch a gamut women-related issues. Read on.

In a nutshell
The main idea of the festival is to portray women not just an object of pleasure on screen but also to show how powerful they are when they go behind the camera to make films.

"In majority of films, women are shown as substances of erotica, which creates a false impression. To prove a point that woman can be equally potent when it comes to shooting a film, we're featuring films that've been directed by them.

We have a strong line-up of films that'll deal with a issues related to sexuality, child psychology, love and professional commitments," says Shyamali Banerjee, chief advisor of the festival that opened on Monday with the screening of short films Diana by Aleem Khan and Welts by Magdalena Piekorz. On December 18, there's also a panel discussion on the relevance of women's film festival.